Here you won't find the pages of a pedantic journal, praises to fantastic places or accounts of memorable encounters. This is a collection of stories, thoughts, images, and most of all odd stuff, even though to someone else it might actually look ordinary. To discern its bizarre side, in fact, special filters are needed: cynicism, fussiness, stubbornness, isolation, impudence, nosiness and nerdiness. All flaws that, in different measure, this semi-nomadic being has got embedded in his genes.

Monday, November 2, 2009

The semipermeable membrane - Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

A few years ago I formulated the theory of the semipermeable membrane approach. Conducting experiments is easy enough: one just has to listen while sitting at a restaurant or take off his earphones when travelling on a train.

In one way the membrane lets any sort of thing out: opinions, points of view, convictions, dogmas, virulent attacks, yells, vulgarities and insults. From the other direction though nothing comes in.

For some people the exchange of ideas doesn't count; an argument or a verbal clash is what they prefer: pouring on people their frustrations and complexes, the bitterness of their disappointments and fears.

What have the others done to deserve that? Nothing, except being made from the same mould.

The semipermeable membrane approach can climb over barriers of any kind: political parties, languages, creeds, none of these things make a difference to it. It spreads with the speed of a mutated virus and the appeal of the latest of the Apple gadgets.

This kind of approach is just too strong to be stopped and it's probably useless trying to stand in its way.